Sanford Speaks Out is the latest blog sensation written, edited and produced by Sanford D. Horn, a writer and educator. Sanford will write about issues of the day covering a myriad subjects: politics, education, culture, sports, religion and even food.

Thursday, May 30, 2013

In the Lies of the Be-Holder

In the Lies of the Be-Holder

Commentary by Sanford D. Horn

May 30, 2013

Because of his clear inability to be honest before a
Congressional committee do I feel compelled to say liar, liar, pantalones en
fuego to hopefully soon to be former Attorney General Eric Holder.

This is the same Eric Holder, who, as Deputy Attorney
General during the Clinton administration interceded to help secure the pardon
of Marc Rich. Rich “stood accused of
racketeering, defrauding the Treasury out of tens of millions of dollars, and
trading with our nation’s enemies–including Iran, which Rich supplied with
desperately needed funds while Khomeini’s embargoed regime held American
hostages.” (McCarthy, A.C., National
Review Online, January 21, 2009)

As Deputy AG, Holder
claimed to not be familiar with who Rich was or the crux of the case against
him. Ignorance was his Holder’s salvation when questioned in 2001 before the
Senate Judiciary Committee. Yet it was later proven that not only did Holder
know who Rich was, but had the occasion to sue a company controlled by Rich
while Holder served as US Attorney for DC as a Clinton appointee.

This is the
same Eric Holder, who, as AG has been embroiled in the Fast and Furious
scandal. Again, Holder feigned ignorance before the House Judiciary Committee
claiming not to know anything about the gun walking operation that allowed
American firearms into the hands of so-called intermediaries for the purpose
tracking them back to Mexican drug cartels.

Fast and
Furious was a botched effort that saw precious few of the firearms returned to
American hands. So badly gone awry was Fast and Furious that United States Border
Patrol Agent Brian Terry was slaughtered in December 2010 and Holder became the
first sitting cabinet member charged with Contempt of Congress. There has been
no justice for the Terry family.

Enough is
enough.

Now Holder has
lied to the House Judiciary Committee about, once again, his ignorance. This
time in a most egregious abuse of power – spying on members of the press and
violating their right of privacy, and dispelling the notion of a free press
being able to perform its duties in the independent manner for which they are
tasked, and guaranteed via the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,
a document with which Holder ought to be familiar.

Holder claimed
on May 15 he knew nothing of the search warrants/subpoenas sought to
investigate several Associated Press employees as well as Fox News’ reporter James
Rosen and an FNC producer. Yet, it has since been unearthed that Holder himself
pursued said warrants/subpoenas for e-mails and telephone records, initially being
rejected by two judges before a third acquiesced. Such high level
investigations require the signature of the Attorney General – in this case,
Eric Holder.

Not only were
the privacy rights of Rosen et. al. violated, so too was their right of due
process by not having been notified prior to such an investigation.

When asked
about potential charges of perjury against Holder, US Rep. James Sensenbrenner
(R-WI), a 35-year veteran of both Congress and the Judiciary Committee said, “absolutely.”

Both
Sensenbrenner and Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) said that
to investigate Rosen for a possible violation of the 1917 Espionage Act for
doing his job is an outright assault of the First Amendment freedom of the
press.

Yet, right
there to politicize this entire scandal was US Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) who
said that Holder did not mislead the committee. But it was another Democrat, US
Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) who asked Holder the damning question regarding his knowledge
of the Rosen investigation prior to it becoming public.

There is the
FBI affidavit signed by Holder, followed by his denial – hotter than the
ubiquitous smoking gun.

Holder has
since called this entire controversy a “teaching moment,” to which
Sensenbrenner replied, “Because he got caught.”

Now, the fox
has been assigned to guard the henhouse – meaning Holder is tasked with
investigating the Justice Department – meaning himself. Yep, the Keystone Kops
of the Obama Administration.

When The Huffington Post and George
Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, both left of center
entities call for Obama to fire Holder; when David Axelrod, Obama’s former
senior advisor publicly calls for Holder’s ousting; when The Washington Post and The
New York Times have lost faith in the Justice Department, the handwriting
is on the wall.

Attorney
General Eric Holder either lied to a Congressional committee and the American
people or he simply is not in control of the Justice Department demonstrating
abject incompetence. Either way Holder must be fired by Obama and then charged
with perjury and obstruction of justice for hindering a Congressional
investigation.